1. Technical Field
This method is directed to the treatment of Premenstrual Syndrome symptoms which by themselves as well as the clinic cyclic nature of the syndrome resembled bipolar affective disorder. To this end the neurotransmitter noreponephrine and the norepinephrine metabolite 3-methozy-4-hydrozyphenylglycol (MHPG) have been studied as possible determinants of (PMS). It has been shown that urinary MHPG levels vary in a similar fashion in both PMS and rapidcycling bipolar affective disorder. see (DeLeon-Jones F A, Steinberg J. Dekirmejian M. et al: MMPG excretion during the menstrual cycle of women. Commun Psychopharmacol 2: 227-274, 1978)
The characteristic symptoms of PMS, such as irritability, lability, anxiety, depression, and abdominal cramping are also evident in opiate withdrawal. Opiate withdrawal symptoms are believed to occur as a result of .beta.-endorphin deregulation of norepinephrine at the locus ceruleus. see (Gold M S. Redmond D E, Kleber H D: Noradrenergic hyperactivity in opiate withdrawal. Am J Psychiatry 136: 100-103, 1979) A previous PMS study, see (Giannini A J, Price W A, Loiselle R H: Beta-endorphin levels in premenstrual distress syndrome. Int J Psychophysiol 1: 341-344, 1984) showed that the percentage of relative decrease in .beta.-endorphin levels during the preluteal phase was inversely related to the intensity of PMS symptoms. Since it had previously been determined that opiate withdrawal, see (Gold M S, Redmond D E, Kleber H D: Noradrenergic hyperactivity in opiate withdrawal. Am J Psychiatry 136: 100-103, 1979) and bipolar affective disorders see (Giannini A J, Extein I, Gold M S, et al: Clonidine in mania. Drug Dev Res 3: 101-104, 1983 and Giannini A J, Loiselle R H, Price W A: Comparison of antimanic efficacy of clonidine and verapamil. J Clin Pharmacol 25: 307-308, 1985) both respond to clonidine, it was hypothesized that the .beta.-endorphin regulation of norepinephrine activity at the level of the locus ceruleus was a unifying feature of both illnesses and therefore also could be applied to PMS.